The star tight end has now scored 14 scores since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a single contest.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their previous six outings. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of five days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single score all year, hauled in his first two touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins made crucial throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their last 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off berth.
